ootheca

thumb|Mantis ootheca An ootheca (: oothecae ) is a type of egg capsule made by any member of a variety of animal groups such as mollusks, mantises, and cockroaches. It is also referred to by its shortened nickname, "ooth".

==Etymology== The word is a Latinized combination of oo-, meaning "egg", from the Greek word ōon (cf. Latin ovum), and theca, meaning a "cover" or "container", from the Greek theke. Ootheke is Greek for ovary.